A flurry of Apple patent applications to enhance user experience and functionality with its emerging smart glasses have reignited tech murmurs that a new Apple Glass launch could be on the horizon in the next three to five years.

The latest applications, covering a stretchable display, a configurable arm design and advanced position sensors, suggest Apple is developing technology to make its smart glasses more subtle, comfortable and lighter, like a normal pair of glasses to compete more with Meta's Ray-Ban Smart Glasses and Amazon's Echo Frames. Apple hopes its Apple Glass will also, one day, replace the iPhone rather than the more traditional virtual and augmented reality headset Apple Vision Pro, which is already on the market, said analysts.